However, Chen Duan stayed for several days, yet with his current keen perception of Righteous Qi, he failed to detect even the slightest trace of Evil Spirits.
At first, he suspected that the evil thing here was special and could evade detection by Righteous Qi.
But after several consecutive nights without finding anything abnormal, he felt that the saying about this being a "haunted house" was probably nothing more than a rumor passed along until it became distorted—or simply the previous occupants frightening themselves.
"What a pity about this Vast Tiger Soul Divine. The Evil Spirits have no fortune to enjoy it." He felt a trace of regret inwardly.
After briefly regulating his breathing, he began cultivating multiple arts simultaneously.
Rip!
He casually tore off his upper garment, revealing a robust torso.
Immediately afterward came a series of explosive cracks from his muscles and bones.
The muscles near his shoulder blades writhed.
The next moment, two arms of different skin colors grew out.
They were the Alien Limbs bearing the internal power of the Severing Nothingness Blade and Ten Hearts Sword.
That day, cultivating six arts at once had been somewhat like a nouveau riche making "revenge purchases" after suddenly acquiring a huge sum of money. Once he had calmed down, he gradually understood the principle of letting a stream flow far by letting it flow slowly.
After several days of experimentation, he discovered that the optimal state was to cultivate two arts simultaneously, preferably ones with similar internal power properties.
Cultivating two arts in rotation during separate periods was actually faster overall than advancing all six together, while also greatly reducing the burden. Thus, it was the "optimal state."
At present, he had chosen the Severing Nothingness Blade and the Ten Hearts Sword.
Although one was a blade and the other a sword, with different styles, and their internal power properties were not particularly similar, both belonged to the Way of the Weapon. Compared with pairing either one with a fist-and-palm art, their compatibility was already excellent.
The two Alien Limbs moved in unison: one blade hacked fiercely, cutting the air with a whistling sound; one sword darted and wove nimbly, carrying a faint, chilling intent.
When Chen Duan had accepted these two arms, he had considered everything thoroughly. He had even borrowed the "lifebound weapons" their original owners had nurtured for many years. Thus, when practicing now, he did not need to start by nurturing the weapons from scratch, and took to them extremely quickly.
He immersed himself in comprehending the blade techniques and sword forms, focusing his mind completely. Compared with when he had practiced weapons in the past, he was far more serious.
After all, both of these were superior true arts at the Fifth Level, worlds apart from those crude arts of the past and worthy of his investment.
Suddenly.
His footsteps halted.
The Alien Limb holding the sword thrust forward, bursting with a condensed azure radiance that slashed diagonally across the ground before him.
With a light sound, as if cutting tofu, a trench several inches deep suddenly appeared in the Green Stone slab, with wisps of azure Sword Qi lingering along its edges.
Chen Duan froze, then looked at the thin sword in his hand. Azure true qi swirled around it without dispersing, producing a faint hum.
[Ten Hearts Sword +7%] [Ten Hearts Sword Fifth Level (93%) → Ten Hearts Sword (Complete)] ["Ten Hearts Sword Fifth Level" broke through to the Complete realm. Potential +1800] [Potential: 20670 + 1800 → 22470]
True qi had been released externally, condensing without dispersing. It had reached the Fifth Level.
The internal power of the Ten Hearts Sword had been cultivated through Flower Transfer Grafting. Its sign of completion was the refinement of this "Sword Qi."
Sword Qi was simply the special name for true qi in the Way of the Sword.
The essence of the Ten Hearts Sword lay in ten utterly different sword-intent properties. Although he had no Secret Manual to consult, through his cultivation insights, Chen Duan had already been able to deduce the ten corresponding variations in sword techniques.
This sword art focused on ingenuity and transformation. Its forms were intricate and bizarre, making it the most complex among the six arts. It should have been the slowest to practice, but with Chen Duan's Potential enhancement and the foundation provided by his many arts, it had broken through to completion first.
For him, understanding the essence of this technique-oriented sword art was not difficult. What was difficult were the other arts that focused on strength; they required him to accumulate steadily, step by step, before a qualitative transformation could occur.
Feeling the nimble Ten Hearts Sword true qi within him, Chen Duan gained an unprecedented understanding of the Way of the Weapon.
Most ordinary Martial Masters believed that weapons were external objects, inferior to fists and feet, which represented one's own strength.
But this was merely the view of frogs at the bottom of a well held by the weak. Once one reached the Fifth Level, the feeling was entirely different.
Sword and Sword Qi became one, resonating with and entwining around each other until they could not be separated. Sword Qi originated from internal power, and internal power was itself a part of a Martial Master. Thus, it brought about the profound sensation that "man was the sword, and the sword was man."
He casually swung it again, and this feeling became even clearer and deeper, almost no different from swinging his own fist.
A weapon was not an external force, but a part of a Martial Master. It had shed its connection to flesh and blood and reached a deeper level of resonance.
Where man was, the sword was.
Where the sword was, man was.
Afterward, Chen Duan turned and walked into the house, taking out a sheathed long sword.
The scabbard flowed with a golden sheen beneath the moonlight, incomparably luxurious. It was precisely the sword bestowed by Linghu Yan, Sect Master of the Yuanxiang Sect, before his death, containing the mysteries of the Gold Element Art.
This was the weapon of a Break Apex expert.
Yet in the days past, Chen Duan had tried many times to comprehend it, but it had always been like watching flowers through a fog, leaving him unable to find the door.
Now that he had gained an initial understanding of the true essence of Fifth Level swordsmanship, what would happen when he held this Gold Sword?
He would know after trying.
With a clear dragon's cry, the Gold Sword leaped from its scabbard.
At a glance, it seemed ancient and unadorned, with nothing unusual about it.
But when he focused his mind, calmed his qi, and roused the Ten Hearts Sword true qi—
The Gold Sword trembled faintly. A barely perceptible connection traveled from the hilt into his palm, reaching straight into the lake of his heart.
A flash of inspiration struck Chen Duan, and he slowly closed his eyes.
The next moment.
The space before him suddenly opened wide, and the sound of Raging Waves Striking the Shore reached his ears.
Plop!
A spray of water struck him in the face, and icy seawater soaked into his trouser cuffs.
He sank into this artistic conception, forgetting both self and world, unaware of time passing.
No one knew how long had gone by. It seemed an instant, yet also an eternity.
Chen Duan suddenly rose, his eyes still tightly closed, as if his spirit continued wandering.
The Gold Sword in his hand, however, had been fully drawn. Following the rhythm of his body, it pointed toward the heavens.
In an instant, the sword's momentum was like the Milky Way cascading backward, crashing down.
Then it was like the vast sea surging across the land, angry tides rolling up.
The Gold Sword seemed to have gained a life of its own in his hand, dancing through a naturally seamless, unknown set of sword techniques until its radiance cleaved through the night and the eastern sky turned pale.
Chen Duan abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing and vanishing within them.
He had suddenly failed to notice that the sky had grown bright.
Only when the dream awakened did he realize the sword had returned to its scabbard.
Replaying that marvelous feeling in his mind, he could not help praising it softly. "Wonderful!"
The marvel of this sword was in no way inferior to the Way of the Fist and Palm.
At the same time, he sensed an unfamiliar aura spiraling within his dantian.
It was precisely the internal power of the Gold Element Art.
[Successfully learned "Gold Element Art (True Art)." Potential +20] [Potential: 22470 + 20 → 22490] [Gold Element Art (1%, Entry Level)] [This art is a "True Art." The next realm after Entry Level is "First Level · Sword Light."]
"So this Gold Sword itself really is the inheritance Secret Manual of the Gold Element Art."
Unlike the art obtained through Flower Transfer Grafting, the panel clearly displayed that it began at "Entry Level," proving that what he had comprehended was the orthodox original.
Although he had spent an entire night merely reaching the Entry Level, Chen Duan did not feel that it had been wasted in the slightest.
That was because the internal power properties of the Gold Element Art were completely different from those of the other four elements. From the Entry Level onward, it already used the "visualized artistic conception" of the Fourth Level to guide cultivation. It could no longer be judged by ordinary standards.
He hung it at his waist.
To nurture his lifebound sword, from this moment onward, the sword would never leave his side.
However, anyone could tell at a glance that this sword was no ordinary object. Carrying it openly through the streets would inevitably provoke covetous eyes.
Yet Chen Duan still had no intention of concealing it.
As the saying went, "A man does not hide his appearance, and a sword does not conceal its edge."
If he could not even protect his own sword, how could he practice swordsmanship?
A little Righteous Qi circulated through his body, washing away the fatigue of a night's cultivation.
He called Ah Huang over to prepare a pile of breakfast. After eating, he pushed open the door, invigorated, and merged into Yingcheng's morning bustle.
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